Latvian farmers gathered at the Farmers' Parliament Sports Games 2015

From June 26 to 28, the Sports Games 2015 of the association "Zemnieku saeima" were held in the recreation park "Lācītes", gathering about 250 people.
Participants had the opportunity to relax during a karaoke evening, to team up in a sporty spirit in volleyball and building an aqueduct, to test their ingenuity and agility in the team relay "Boats", as well as to stretch their legs in a green ball.
During the games, overcoming obstacles and difficulties, the champions of the agricultural sports games were determined. The third place was won by the team “Sauna” from Preiļi, which has proven its strength repeatedly – for the second year in a row by winning third place. The second place was won by “Abra” from Sēja region. The team has returned to our ranks after a long break and, as we can see, with success. The first place laurels were won and the Farmers’ Saeima Cup was taken to Kurzeme this year by the team “Ciemgaļi”. The victory could not be called a surprise, because this is the 3rd time in the history of the Sports Games when the team wins the honorable title.
 
The participants themselves also speak about sports games:
Young Farmers Team "Sons of Agriculture” this year gathered a team from all over Latvia. The participants expressed their satisfaction with the management of the Sports Games and the pleasant atmosphere for recreation. This is also evidenced by the first-time participation of the team, the creation of which is due to Roberts Ločmelis from the Kocēni municipality sports club “Mazdzērvītes”.
"Last year, I was a participant in the sports games as a "Vilciņi-1" member. I really enjoyed the event, even receiving thanks for encouraging other members. This year, I mentioned the event to my LLU correspondence coursemates and as a result, I was able to compete as a representative of my team "Sons of Agriculture". The sports games were characterized by a sporting spirit and mutual camaraderie among farmers, which is their essence. Of course, volleyball and non-traditional games also provided an opportunity to work up a good sweat.", That's Robert.
Gunārs Butevics, owner of SIA “Elejas Liepziedi”, and the team “Liepziedi”, also appreciates what they experienced in sports games: “We, the rural people, are not very smart, but we must admit that the games were organized very solidly. Both residential areas and entertainment for different age groups had been thought of. Only the youngest generation was confused as to why there wasn't an ice cream stand in the middle of the square (laughs).
The karaoke evening was great, where our farm team managed to warm up before the official opening of the games by singing. I have to admit that people need to be encouraged to attend such events more, for example, in the Jelgava district there are many smaller farms that have difficulty gathering the necessary number of participants. But that doesn't stop us from uniting! In the coming years, I want to see more farmers actively relaxing shoulder to shoulder.”
The team “Great Friends of the Peasants' Assembly” of SIA “Dimela Veta” also actively participated in sports games. Member of the company's board Dr. Vita Būda – Gaile: “We are glad that there are non-governmental organizations in Latvia that can organize events of this scale for their members, and receive positive feedback in return. As the general sponsor of the event, we appreciate the respect shown to us. It is clear that the priority is long-term cooperation, not thoughtless investment of funds. ZSA Sports Games provide an opportunity to communicate with our audience – farmers. This is the second year that we have supported ZSA Sports Games and the third year of successful cooperation; I can say – we feel a sense of belonging to this organization even without being a member of it.”
 
Many thanks to everyone who, together with us, proved that farmers can also have a good rest and prove themselves in various sports disciplines.
The sports games title competition was made possible thanks to the sponsors of the ZSA:
"Dimela Veta"; "Konekesko Latvija"; "Amserv motors"; "Dobeles dzirnavnieks"; "TERRA HOLDING" Latvia; "Amazone"; "Vaderstaad"; "Seesam".
In turn, we would like to thank our supporters for the delicious surprises:
"Fazer"; "Very Berry"; "Latgale Vegetable Logistics"; "Our Home Vegetables"; "The Future"; "Latvijas Piens".
Our biggest helper came to the rescue – the active tourism center "Eži" – to implement the planned ideas and oversee the Sports Games.